Velana International Airport (VIA) begins providing services for Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia at its newly opened Terminal 1.
The launch of operations from Terminal 1 was marked by an official event attended by the State Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mohamed Nashath Rasheed.
Also present at the event were the Saudi Ambassador to the Maldives, Yahya Hassan Al-Gahthani; Isam Al-Habsi, Saudia’s Maldives manager overseeing operations in India and Sri Lanka, Saad Al-Salih, Saudia’s operations manager for the Maldives and Pakistan, as well as officials from Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).
As part of the launch, Saudia’s check-in counters at Terminal 1 were officially opened. The first flight from the terminal, SV838 to Riyadh, carried 127 passengers and received a warm, traditional welcome. The total of 57 passengers on this inaugural flight were all presented with commemorative gifts.
Saudia is the national airline of Saudi Arabia and first began operating flights to the Maldives on 30 March, 2016. The new terminal, which was inaugurated on 26th July, 2025, now serves 11 international airlines, with Saudia being the first Saudi carrier to operate from the new terminal. MACL ensures that their goal is to provide the absolute best services to all airlines flying to the Maldives.
